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^_^;; Lots of information ya'll are throwing at me there. I appreciate both sides of the coin.

I do agree in particular with spacing out required courses. One or two hard classes can get more attention than 4. I guess it really all comes down to knowing what transfers from my community college and what pre-requisties I need for medical school.

I want to get as much out of the way as I can through community college because of the commute to University (It's the University of Houston that I believe I will be going to for my BA. I don't think I will live on campus either.) so I don't have to worry about a crappy school or anything like that. I think it's a decent university.

I'll have to make a trip over to the school and talk to the people there for my information on the particular college and update this when I get it.

Juggernaut I would definitely appreciate any questions and answers from your friend!! Biochemistry does sound daunting.. but I say that about everything.

Qre: Thank you for your input and your side of the spectrum. From an objective standpoint, it's interesting to see both ways of looking at it all. My current extra-curriculars will involve 25 hours of volunteer work this summer, and my honors program.

I still have to find out more on that program as well.. They have an Honors college at UofH too so Ill have to check with them and find out what that means.

Kantgirl: Just say "I'm feminine and I'll punch anyone who says otherwise!"
Halla74: Think your way through the world. Feel your way through life.

The key factors affecting acceptance to medical school include the following:

Successful completion of required undergraduate courses

Grade point average

Performance on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

Extracurricular activities—especially those reflecting public or health-related service, volunteer work, and other evidence of your initiative

Letters of recommendation from undergraduate health professions advisors and faculty members as well as physicians and other members of the health professions, community leaders, and other individuals who have employed you or supervised your volunteer experience

Interviews with medical school admissions committees. Unlike colleges, which hold interviews early in the application process, medical schools arrange them near the end. As they narrow their selection of candidates, most medical schools invite the most promising applicants to interview with faculty and other members of the admissions committee.

So in addition to what Qre:us mentioned, getting to know some faculty members well will be important. Don't underestimate the power of Letters of Recomendation after you've met the cut-offs.

Accept the past. Live for the present. Look forward to the future.Robot Fusion
"As our island of knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance." John Wheeler
"[A] scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy." Richard Feynman
"[P]etabytes of [] data is not the same thing as understanding emergent mechanisms and structures." Jim Crutchfield

^ If we ever attend the same meet-up, I promise you you're going to be mad at me from my tackling and glomping all over you in joy for this much information Thank you soo much!!

at least I know that UofH won't be a total waste of time. I was surfing on a studentdoctor forum that was advising some dude to stay at UofH for pre-med stuff, which means they HAVE to have a pre-med program. I'm not looking forward to outstanding tuition costs or commutes, but eh. I'll live. I'll check them out and set up an appointment with the advising counselor for next monday and try not to get lost on such a huge campus.

Kantgirl: Just say "I'm feminine and I'll punch anyone who says otherwise!"
Halla74: Think your way through the world. Feel your way through life.

What everyone else says, and especially get ready for a LOT of work, starting in undergrad and never ending until you retire. Everyone I know who is heading towards medicine is a serious overachiever. This means not only an essentially perfect GPA and high MCAT scores to even be considered, but also hardcore volunteering and similar, to be "well-rounded", which is very important for the interviewing. If medicine is what you want though, go for it, because you'll probably only be able to get through the work if you love it.

Also, make plans in case you don't get into med school, just in case. It's very competitive, as I'm sure you know.

I'm not trying to be discouraging, I swear, just try to make sure your time in undergrad isn't wasted if you choose not to/can't pursue the medicine route after.

(bio grad, for what it's worth)

edit: we have a biomed (ie pre-med) program at my university, but I think it's a fairly rare program. all that's necessary is the pre-reqs, which you should be able to find out from the med school(s) of your choice.

^ Thanks Yeah, I will definitely get my BA in something before going to Med School so that my education wasn't totally for naught if I don't get in. A BA in a medical field, I could get a certificate in something like physical therapy, etc. or even go into Kinesiology.

My fall-back support will be my BA medical degree and a job in Kinesiology. I like to work out, and I'd love to share that with people, but the field wouldn't be as stable as a doctor's career.

I like to work hard, and I dunno about being a TOTAL overachiever, but when I want something I definitely strive for it. I'm not gonna lie, it's scary to think how competitive the field is...

I think it'll help to just take it all one step at a time. I'll worry about MCATs when they get here, and Medical school after that.. for now, I'll focus on good grades and getting the necessary courses knocked out and getting my BA.

Kantgirl: Just say "I'm feminine and I'll punch anyone who says otherwise!"
Halla74: Think your way through the world. Feel your way through life.

So, taking into account the UofH's actual BA requirements for Chemistry and/or Biology/Biochemistry (it seems to be the same degree according to the website), I have the pre-med requirements for med school, and I realize that nearly everything on that degree plan can be taken at my community college. I would spend a maximum of 1 year at UofH. Perfect for me.

Problem? I don't know yet if I can get that 1 year to be Honors college or not. I don't know anything yet about honors programs, and how they're going to conflict with each other.. Honors people are the most stuck up people I've ever met. As far as how classes transfer and such.. you'd think someone else as an Honor would be recognized by another honor.. but NO Honors courses at some 'lame' community college are recognized as honors by University.

Anyways, currently, an AS would be 61 hours. I can transfer 66 hours to UofH toward a degree. I think it'd be like.. one semester out of my way to get an AS before going for my BA. I think I'll end up going for my AS afterall before looking at my BA. 2 years (or 4 semesters) of community college still, and then 1 year at UofH. It'll be a total of 4 years, which sounds about right since I've already got one year under my belt.

Kantgirl: Just say "I'm feminine and I'll punch anyone who says otherwise!"
Halla74: Think your way through the world. Feel your way through life.

As posted in my journal, I have trigonometry for a summer class MTWTh for 6 weeks in the mornings. I thought it was a good set up because the early wake-up call means I'll have the afternoons off to work, and there's a 2 1/2 hour lag-time between Trigonometry and my next class.. so Trig homework can be done at the college after class everytime, and I can make use of the gym between classes.

There's an element of the unknown that I absolutely despise. This is especially true when it comes to school. The entire thing is one big anxiety attack for me, and I'm already feeling breathless thinking about trigonometry. I absolutely PANICKED for some reason in math class when they introduced Logs.. I'd never even HEARD of them before, and I can't help but worry that this class too will be full of things I don't quite comprehend and understand. I get worried that my abilities will not be enough to afford me the 4.0 I'm striving for.

I lose confidence, inside of myself, when I have to be graded or tested on something, or when I am competing. I worry about my abilities and my talents, and if everything I do and try for will still not be enough to do what I set out to do. The worst part is I don't know what to expect, so I realize that I can't even make a pseudo-plan to ease myself until I am in the class. EVEN worse yet is they haven't announced my teachers for these courses, any of them fall or summer, so I can't even check out ratemyprofessors.com to find out how they seem function.

Whew. Long rant for just "I hate summer school"

Kantgirl: Just say "I'm feminine and I'll punch anyone who says otherwise!"
Halla74: Think your way through the world. Feel your way through life.

So, I'm a senior and I've been doing this for 10 years (really long story). I didn't read everything (it's 3am I'm allowed) but I can give you a few pointers.

#1 Learn math... ffs the GRE is a monster if you don't have math... I can't imagine the MCAT.

#2 I'm in Texas (TWU!) and in our state as long as you do the full core at any community college, it transfers to any university. Period. Your AA or AS will become the total core for whichever university you choose. Most of them are state run here (UT, TWU, UNT, A&M, Sam Houston, S.F.A., etc.). Med school... Baylor. UT is good (Galveston for UTMB), but Baylor is growing the name and since it's private/for profit there is (according to those I know) more available (med school is expensive because med school equipment is expensive). On a nursing front (B.S. Nursing or even Nurse Practitioner) TWU has one of the best nursing programs there are (it's the Woman's school, they've been teaching nursing for eons).

#3 There are tons of new financial aid options available. If you go through nursing school (I wanted to but I faint at the sight of blood so I couldn't do it) there are special subsidized loans for nurses due to the shortage. Most colleges have an April 1st deadline for Fall Aid (I'd stick with community college for another year... I wish I had the $150 a class tuition back! *sigh*) but you can start applying now for the Spring or getting it figured out for '10-'11.

PM (or email cos I'm flakey) if you have questions... I'm a career student so I'm pretty good at this stuff.

Fall semester I will have 5 classes, spring semester I will have 5 classes. Then, I will have my Associates in Science.

I'm deviating from my plan here for a while with it all. I want a good job, and I need one. I'm getting burned out too quickly from college work. So. My current plan is this:

Get a Surgical Tech certificate in a year's time. Work that job for a while, and during it work at schooling part time for a surgical assistant position. Experience, and a job. It's better than nothing for 8 more years. I can still work toward medical school, but it'll be slower. Economy and life makes plans change a lot. Oh well.

Kantgirl: Just say "I'm feminine and I'll punch anyone who says otherwise!"
Halla74: Think your way through the world. Feel your way through life.